SPORTS(WO)MAN OF THE YEAR EMILY WU: Who says romance is dead? WBC's presumably male bastion has elected a member of the fair sex for the fourth time as our Sports(wo)man of the Year. Emily Wu won our annual membership vote handily over a field of 15 nominees by commanding over 17% of the vote. Emily's presence was noted throughout the con as being a game and upbeat competitor in numerous wargame events heavily dominated by males where female presence is often lacking. Despite much in the way of success in the won/loss columns, she took the experience in stride and came back for more.

That alone is worthy of notice, but when she and Geoff Allbutt got married during the convention at 9:30 on Thursday and then returned to the Host to play in another tournament—well, her election was all but certain. In the game of life when a woman gives up her honeymoon to pursue her husband's hobby, she's a keeper! Congratulations, Geoff and Emily! As compensation for the honeymoon, the first anniversary lodgings are on us at WBC 2014. And you can even bring Geoff if you want.

All 15 nominees received votes with 310 members participating. Others receiving strong support were Tom McCorry (14%), Rob Drozd and Max DuBoff (10%), Antony Saccenti (9%) and Rose Hitchings (8%). Congratulations to all of our good sports and our thanks for making WBC a better experience for all of us to enjoy. Further details are available at http://boardgamers.org/wbc13/sportman.htm.

WBC 2014 TRIAL EVENTS NAMED: A record turnout for our Annual December Membership Drive gave 23 old favorites another slot in our Tournament offerings for 2014 while admitting two new Euros: Tzolk'in and King of Tokyo. Trans America led the list of returnees with 321 votes although wargames claimed 15 of the 25 available Trial vote slots, depending on your definition of "wargame". More details including the complete voting breakdown are provided at http://boardgamers.org/wbc14/trialvote.htm.

2014 EVENT LINEUP: The initial lineup of eligible events for the 2014 Century and 25 Continuing Trial events has been updated athttp://www.boardgamers.org/wbc14/orphans.htm along with the initial GM claims. It is now closed to all but Vendor and Sponsor supported entries. Event forms for additional events seeking Alternate status to fill any vacancies and/or troll for Sponsor support will still be accepted until March 15.

GM COMMITMENTS: GMs are reminded to make their memberships current AND submit an event form by March 15. At that time, events without a satisfactory GM claim will be replaced by those events from the Alternate list for whom we have a satisfactory event form on file with a current GM commitment. You can now claim any qualifying OPEN event by completing the required event form at http://www.boardgamers.org/forms/SubmitEvent.php after reading the GM Guidelines linked from the start of that event form. Nothing happens at WBC without a willing GM behind it. But please…do NOT volunteer unless you are going to fulfill the entire obligation.

And yes, I'm a bit stodgy about following rules. Over the years I've found it difficult to get universal compliance with the convention's policies without reminding GMs of their responsibilities. Just assuming GMs will follow through the following year as they did previously without reminding them of what is expected leads to mistaken assumptions which are difficult—if not impossible—to rectify at the last minute. So, bear with me please…

Submitting an event form annually accomplishes four things:

It relieves me of the burden of assuming—often incorrectly—that nothing has changed.

It reminds GMs of their obligations and hopefully gets them to think about their event in the offseason before it happens—perhaps causing an improvement or two in the process.

It firms up deadlines—which makes the considerable effort we undertake to support our events a LOT more efficient.

And to cynics like myself - yes, it constitutes a hoop for GMs to jump through to demonstrate their continued sincerity. It's not much of a qualification, but like the requirement to pay one's membership fee in advance, over the years it has demonstrably generated a significantly greater % of GM reliability than those who refuse to meet it. If taking the time to complete a form is too much to ask, then perhaps you're not the best choice to be a WBC GM. WBC prides itself on its GM's performance. WBC DOES require more from its GMs than is the norm elsewhere - and we believe there is a cause and effect relationship as a consequence. WBC draws gamers from across the nation and the world for its unique brand of tournament emphasis. That comes with a certain responsibility to do our best not to disappoint them. So, thanks again for putting up with my efforts at quality control.

BoD NOMINATIONS: All BPA members are hereby notified of their right to nominate members for the three Board seats whose terms expire at the next WBC. To appear on the ballot, a member must be nominated in writing by at least three members; one of which must be himself/herself. Nominations must be signed and received at BPA, 1541 Redfield Rd, Bel Air, MD 21015 no later than Feb. 28 to be eligible for election in that year. NOTE: Email nominations are NOT acceptable, nor can a member nominate more than one member for the Board. When contemplating nominations, members are urged to consider that the BPA conducts most of its business by email and needs Board members who are able and willing to offer their time and skills to the organization in a timely manner. Board members should be considered more for their ability to contribute to the running of a successful company than for their attachment to any particular game or genre. Besides forwarding a signed nomination, each nominee should submit by March 1 a statement not to exceed 100 words summarizing what they can contribute in service to the Board of Directors of the BPA. The nomination form is on line at http://www.boardgamers.org/bpanom.htm.

PBeM NEWS:

ADEL VERPFLICHTET/BY HOOK OR BY CROOK/HOITY TOITY: Whatever you call it, you’ve always wanted to bluff your way into a BPA championship. Now’s your chance – the thieving, jailing, exhibiting, and bidding begins February 21, 2014. Everyone plays five games in just 6-9 weeks with the tournament wrapping up a month before WBC! Learn the game and check out the tournament format at www.gameaholics.com/adv_bpa/adv_format.htm and then contact john@gameaholics.com to enter!

ADVANCED CIVILIZATION: It's that time of year again...signups are now underway for the 2014/15 Advanced Civilization PBeM tournament. Come rule a nation from the Stone Age to the Iron Age in five minutes a day instead of an eight hour stretch. Each entrant will play two concurrent first round games, advancing eight to the final. Full information is available at http://bpa-civ.rol-play.com/. Please contact the GM at kevinyouells@gmail.com prior to Feb. 26 to sign up. The games will begin on March 1.

PRO GOLF: Appropriately enough, on April 1, 2014, one week before the 2014 Masters, BPA will kick off its Fifth Annual Pro Golf PBeM tournament. For those who just can't get enough dice rolling and giggles in their life, we bring the silliness to you year 'round. See the event details at http://www.nktelco.net/bdmonnin/pro_golf_PBeM_2014.html and enter this monumental test of skill by emailing GM Bruce Monnin at bdmonnin@nktelco.net.

MARCH MADNESS: All first round games have concluded and two over-achievers have already reached the Sweet 16 as Jeremy Billones and, sadly, Bruce Reiff are now four games from the title. Follow the action at http://www.nktelco.net/bdmonnin/mm-brack-2013.htm.

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Remember... all of the above PBeM fun is free to current BPA members. Others may qualify with a $10 PBEM membership in the year the event starts. All multi-day paid attendees to WBC are current BPA members for the balance of that calendar year. You need not keep your membership current in order to
finish a PBeM event. Players may join the BPA throughout the year.
See the BPA Terms page for details.

BPA members who would like to see an email tournament for their
favorite game are encouraged to step forward as the GM of such an
event. BPA does not run tournaments. Rather, we are an organization
of gamers lending support to one another so such events can happen.
No one cares as much about your hobby as you do. Get involved. See the
requirements to host a BPA email tournament at http://www.abovethefields.com/top_pbem/

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